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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
Circumnavigating a dying food critic, Gourmet Rhapsody is a collection of opinions and thoughts by not only the food critic but all those around him, including his children, housekeeper and even his pet. As this really had no plot and was just ramblings about our protagonist and his prolific descriptions of food, this didn't exactly grab me.
Much prefered The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I do not like her endings. The descriptions of food were wonderful: they inspired me to cook elaborate meals!
This is a bunch of essays/short stories about food. I usually get rather sniffy about short stories, but being the subject/theme, it works. Some were better than others, but it's a fun little book about the joy of food. Beware: don't read this when you are hungry!
Any book that follows a classic will be compared to the original -- and it's true this one doesn't live up to the first. But on its own, it's beautifully, beautifully written. An literary, sensual exploration of the joy of food, written by a cruel genius, and an exploration of the genius himself, through the people (and objects) he left in his wake.
Also, kudos to the translator! I imagine translating a work that is mostly turn of phase and characters, rather than plot, is a difficult undertaking, and she mastered it.
Also, kudos to the translator! I imagine translating a work that is mostly turn of phase and characters, rather than plot, is a difficult undertaking, and she mastered it.
It is not often that I find myself driven to write a review of a book that I have read. Those of you who enjoyed "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" as I did should be warned that this book bears no resemblance to that endearing tale. This book is about a food critic who is dying and his relationships with those around him and food in general. I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed those who did the narration. They did a good job of breathing life into the characters. The story itself, however, was to me just paragraph after paragraph of food description - what some might be tempted to call food porn. The characters did not fully develop in my mind and so many times I found myself thinking "This is painful to listen to". I want my reading (or audiobook) time to be enjoyable. I did finish the book, which was no easy feat but many times found myself wishing that the guy would just die already. Suffice it to say this was not what I was hoping for.
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lovely follow up to Elegance of a Hedgehog. Set in the same building, during the last hours of a dying man as he remembers his life through the meals he ate and interspersed with POV of other people and animals and objects that surround him. A quiet cozy read about life and death. Not the best book but certainly not the worst.
What a beautiful and amazing book. If I could give it 5 1/2 stars I would!! I read Elegance of the Hedgehog first, and I enjoyed this book just as much if not more. I couldn't put it down and I wanted to eat or drink wine the whole time! The author had a wonderful way with words describing the tastes through the eyes of a food critic. It amazed me that it takes place over 48 hours. I really enjoyed all the extra chapters with the thoughts of those around him. I do think it made it a quicker read since I had read Hedgehog first, but they can definitely be enjoyed separately. Bravo!!